I had previously made plans for a book signing in November. Although my publisher did their best to get my author copies to me early, UPS held them at the distribution center in Indianapolis for three days, before finally sending them on. The next day they arrived . . . three days after the event.

Before the event, we tried contacting UPS, offering to pick them up at the distribution center, but we kept hitting brick walls. We finally accepted that they would be delivered — when UPS wanted to deliver them.

When the box arrived, I was beside myself with excitement!

The first copy went to my beta reader and friend extraordinaire! The second copy went (at her insistence) to my granddaughter. Then we headed over to the bookstore to give them the copies they had ordered.

I was exhausted, and unprepared for some quirky things that happened after that, which shall remain private for now, but soon we were in our van and headed home.

Five hours later we arrived, unpacked the van, and since it was almost midnight, crawled into our beds.

But that’s not the strange part . . . are you still with me? OK!

Now, for the rest of the story!

On the way home from the bookstore, I had asked my sweet, little granddaughter if I could look at her copy of my new book (no, I wasn’t driving). Being in a rush, I hadn’t taken time to really appreciate it.

When she handed it to me, I flipped on the overhead light, and flipped through the book, smiling and chatting excitedly. I carefully looked over the front of the cover, appreciating the hard work the designer had put into it. I turned it over and read through the blurb.

Are you ready for the strange part?

When I turned it sideways to admire the new name . . . I realized it still read “Blueberry Cupcake Mystery”!

I immediately sent out an email to the designer. I didn’t fuss, because things like this happen quite frequently in the publishing world — it just hadn’t happened to me yet.

Needless to say, it was promptly corrected and I was told I could order more copies — with the correct name on the spine.

And now I have a phone call to make to the bookstore, to offer to trade out new, corrected copies for the copies I left with them.

Not wanting to waste the first batch of copies, my designer created a label for the first 24 books. They have been applied (see below) and I’d like to bless a few readers with a copy. I’m giving away three copies.